BG students have started off the 2014-2015 school year with an array of changes. With a series of new renovations, along with a few tweaked rules and procedures, quite a few refreshing traits have been adopted- including new staff members.

BG staff plays a huge role in keeping the school going. Educators shift in and out of the “Bison Family” so often, it has become a rare luxury to be able to get to know those who have recently come in.

This year, there have been several new additions to the BG staff, including Social Sciences teacher Rebecca Serra, English teacher Rachel Moyer, and our new principal, Jeff Wardle.

Both staff and students here at BG do their best to welcome new extensions to the school, whether they be educators or pupils. So far, all new comers have reported to feel right at home.

“I’ve worked at Hersey prior to coming to BG,” Wardle said. “I already feel incredibly welcomed, and having the opportunity to work here as a principal is great.”

While everyone is feeling right at home, some might still be wondering what has attracted so many new additions to the BG staff.

“For me, it was the position,” Serra said. “It’s similar to what I did when I worked at Elk Grove, but with a few small twists. I figured it would be a good opportunity for me to continue my teaching career and expand my own personal horizons.”

Academics, however, aren’t the only thing that connect students and staff at BG. Although our common grounds are school related, everyone at BG has their own unique palette of interests and activities that they take part in.

“Personally, I love snowboarding, hiking, biking, and really anything outdoors,” Moyer said. “I love teaching, but, I feel like some students forget that teachers do other things outside of just school.”

BG’s new principal has quite a few interesting facts to share about himself as well.

“I’ve taught in two different continents and three different countries” Wardle said. “I’ve also just recently taken a huge interest in wakeboarding.”
“I come at teaching from an activist point of view,” Moyer said. “Working with young people is an honest and critical thing. The next generation of people are within these students, and I look at it as my job to transform them into the leaders that I know they can be; people who will create a more just and equitable society.”

The care and respect for all students that comes from teachers and staff often goes unnoticed. Even educators who have just recently came to BG already showcase an incredible amount of passion and love for what they do, and those that they interact with.

“The way that I look at it, is that we’re all on the same team,” Wardle said. “There’s a common goal that we all need to work towards. I’m not out to get anyone, I’m here to encourage students and do everything that I can to help them reach success.”